Sphaeralcea plant named ‘Orange Crush’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct Sphaeralcea ambigua named ‘Orange Crush’ is characterized by bright orange flowers that appear most heavily in winter to spring and with some flowers produced almost throughout the year. The plant has a dense appearance because of a high number of stems produced from a basal crown. The plant is about twice as wide as it is tall (1.3′ tall×2.5′ wide).

Latin name: Sphaeralcea ambigua Gray.

Varietal denomination: ‘Orange Crush’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Sphaeralcea ambigua, commonly called desert globemallow, is a perennial,herbaceous, shrub sized plant native from southern Utah through southernCalifornia, Arizona, Sonora and Baja Calif.. Desert globemallow has beenused in Southwestern landscapes as seasonal color and althoughherbaceous, as a small shrub. The present invention relates to a new anddistinct cultivar of desert globemallow. The cultivar resulted from aproprietary open pollinated breeding line selection which proved to bevery compact and low growing in form with everblooming tendencies and isthe object of this application. Both male and female parents were partof this breeding line, which contains considerable in-line diversity.Since the breeding line is seed harvested en masse and the seedscollected are mixed together, it is not possible to determine whichindividual plants were either the male or female parent.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Among the features that distinguish the new cultivar from all otheravailable and commercial varieties of Sphaeralcea ambigua known to theinventor are the following combination of characteristics: plant smallerand shorter than is typical for the species with a low, dense, compactgrowth form, an everblooming tendency and bright orange flowers.

The propagation procedure is as follows: Three inch long herbaceous cutsare wetted with a 1:10 solution of Dip'N Gro™, then planted into peatmedia trays and then moved to a mist greenhouse at a commercial nurserynear Sahuarita, Ariz. without bottom heat with air temperatures of70-85° F. Cuts are misted every 20 minutes. Rooting is essentiallycompleted within about 3 weeks.

The foregoing characteristics and distinctions come true to form and areestablished and transmitted through succeeding propagations. The presentinvention has not been evaluated under all possible environmentalconditions, such that the phenotype may vary with variations inenvironment without a change in the genotype of the plant.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying photographs illustrate Sphaeralcea ambigua ‘OrangeCrush’ growing near Sahuarita, Ariz., depicted in color as nearlycorrect as it is possible to make in a color illustration of thecharacter.

FIG. 1 shows Sphaeralcea ambigua ‘Orange Crush’ aged 2 years fromcutting growing at a commercial nursery near Sahuarita, Ariz.

FIG. 2 illustrates flowers of Sphaeralcea ambigua ‘Orange Crush’.

FIG. 3 shows the fruits of Sphaeralcea ambigua ‘Orange Crush’ fullymatured at the time of dehiscence.

FIG. 4 shows 2 fruit segments of Sphaeralcea ambigua ‘Orange Crush’ justreleased from a dehisced capsule.

FIG. 5 illustrates the seeds of Sphaeralcea ambigua ‘Orange Crush’.

DETAILED PLANT DESCRIPTION

The following is a detailed description of the new Sphaeralcea ambigua‘Orange Crush’ plant based upon 2 year old plants propagated by cuttingsgrowing under irrigation in the ground near Sahuarita, Ariz.

The following color descriptions are based upon the 5^(th) editionR.H.S. Colour Chart, copyright 2007. Color names other than common usageare as listed in COLOR Universal Language and Dictionary of Names, byKenneth L. Kelly and Deane B. Judd; National Bureau of Standards specialpublication 440. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Commerce, NationalBureau of Standards, December 1976.

Plants at age 2 years from cutting, growing in the ground withirrigation at a commercial nursery near Sahuarita, Ariz. measure about1.3 foot tall×2.5 feet wide. Plant is evergreen with numerous (about300) mostly unbranched herbaceous stems arising from a suffrutescentground level crown (about 6 inches wide at age 2), which is formed bythe growth of numerous short rhizomes. The stems terminate in thyrsoidinflorescences bearing from few to 30 or so flowers each depending uponthe vigor and position of the stem bearing the inflorescence. Floweringis heaviest from winter through spring, although the cultivar showseverblooming tendencies with some flowers produced throughout the year.

Stems are 1-3 mm in diameter, tapering apically. Internodes measure 5-27mm in length, being shortest near the inflorescence. The stems areterete and pubescent with stellate hairs (stem color 138B) Older stemsexposed to the direct sun become blotched with color 185A on the sunwardside.

Leaves are alternate, petiolate, covered with stellate hairs and ovatein overall shape. Axillary buds are obscure. The terete leaf petiolesare covered with stellate hairs, colored 138B, and measure 12-28 mmlong×1.0-1.2 mm in diameter. The petiole includes 2 pulvini, one justbelow the leaf blade and one at the stem attachment. These measure 2-3mm in length, colored 145C. The pulvini are loosely covered in stellatehairs. The color change between the main body of the petiole and thepulvini is abrupt. The pinnately veined leaf blade is ovate in overallshape, but variably incised (between ¼ to ½ the distance from the leafmargin to the midrib) with 5-11 lobes. The apex of the leaf is acute.The leaf base is obtuse. The lobe apices vary from acute to obtuse, thelonger lobes being acute and the shorter lobes varying from acute toobtuse. The longest lobes are at the base of the leaf. The adaxialsurface of the leaf is covered with stellate hairs and the leaf surfaceis slightly indented above the leaf veins. The abaxial side of the leafis covered with stellate hairs and the pinnate veins are raised abovethe general leaf surface. Both sides of the leaf and the veins arecolored 189A.

Mature buds one day prior to anthesis measure 10 mm long×6 mm diameterand are ovoid in shape. The calyx extends and partially covers thecorolla for about ⅔ of the bud length with the upper ⅓ being only thepetals. The calyx is rounded at the base which constitutes about ⅓ thelength of the bud. Five long triangular calyx teeth extend about ⅓ ofthe bud length mostly appressed to the corolla, but often slightlyspreading near the apices of the teeth. The teeth also are apiculatenear the apices. The calyx is canescent with stellate hairs. Calyx coloris 194B, but this becomes increasingly mottled with 53B starting at theupper ⅓ to ½ of each tooth. The exposed corolla in bud is colored 31B.The petals in bud are spirally overlapped. The bud is subtended by threebracts attached just below the calyx. These bracts become fullydesiccated several days earlier in bud development. The bracts and moredetails of the calyx are described with the open flowers.

Flowers: Flowers are bright orange, color 31B, measuring 28-32 mm wide.The terete pedicel measures 1.5-7.0 mm long×1 mm in diameter. Thesurface of the pedicel is densely covered with stellate hairs, pedicelcolor 194B. Flowers last 2 days. The spent flowers shrink and shrivelremaining attached to the developing fruit until the fruit approachesmaturity.

The flower is subtended by three linear bracts located immediately belowthe calyx. These bracts dry out many days before anthesis but persist.Bracts measure 5 mm long×0.2 mm wide and are erratically shriveled.Bracts, color 164A, are covered with stellate hairs (NN155B).

Calyx measures 13-15 mm in diameter×6 mm long. Basal portion of thecalyx is fused and rounded conical in shape. The abaxial surface iscovered with white (NN155B), stellate hairs. This portion of the calyxis colored 194B. The basal portion of the calyx constitutes about ½ ofthe total calyx radius. The calyx divides into 5 free, spreading, longtriangular, apiculate calyx lobes. These lobes measure 5 mm long×3 mmwide at the base of each lobe. The calyx lobes are covered with stellatehairs much like the fused portion of the calyx. The lower ½ to ⅔ of eachlobe is colored 194B. Beginning at the upper ⅓ to ½ of each lobe color53B appears as mottles scattered upon the lobe base color, thesebecoming gradually more prominent at the calyx lobe apices.

Petals are glabrous, obovate, terminally retuse, marginally entire,measuring 14 mm long and 13 mm wide. Of that length the basal 2 mm iscolored 1C. At the 2 mm distance the color abruptly changes to 31B forthe rest of the petal. Within the orange (31B) portion of the petalsthere are about 20 fine veins (color 32A) visible under magnificationparalleling the petal margins. These veins are slightly raisedadaxially, slightly indented abaxially. Interior and exterior petalcolors are identical.

A fused staminal column (color 1C) is firmly attached to the petal basesand is immediately adjacent to the ovary. The staminal column is looselycovered in erratically spreading hairs, color 1B. The sticky pollen iscommonly adhered to these hairs giving a first impression the hairs areglandular, which they are not. The base of the staminal column measures3.3 mm in diameter. The column then tapers in the shape of a reversedtrumpet to a diameter of 1.5 mm near the midpoint of the column. Fromthere up to the base of the staminal cluster the column is relativelycylindrical. The column is 3.0-3.5 mm long below the staminal cluster.The cylinder continues for about 3 mm further supporting a stamencluster where it gives rise to numerous filaments terminating inanthers. The staminal cluster is roughly spherical and measures from3.0-4.5 mm in diameter. The staminal cluster contains numerous stamensestimated to be around 50 in number.

Stamens are 2.2 mm in length. The filament is about 1.5 mm long×0.2 mmin diameter, terete, glabrous, color 1C. Anthers are nearly spherical,measuring 0.7 mm in diameter, color 15B. Pollen is spherical,translucent, color 15B, measuring 40 μ in diameter.

The pistil measures 8.5 mm in length and is 2.5 mm in diameter at theovary which is an oblate spheroid in shape. The ovary measures 2.5 mmwide×1.5 mm thick. The ovary (color 157A) is densely covered withstellate hairs. The hairs are colored 155D. The style (color 157D) is 3mm in length, terete, glabrous, tapering from 0.5 mm in diameter justabove the ovary to 0.33 mm at the point where the style disperses intospreading, terete segments that match the number of carpels (10-14).These sub-styles are about 3 mm in length including the stigmas and 0.1mm in diameter, terminating in hemispherical stigmas measuring 0.15 mmin diameter and 0.08 mm in height. The stigmas are colored 69A. Thesub-styles are colored 157D at the base but starting at the ⅔ distancefrom the base the color becomes increasingly mottled with 185B as thestigma is approached. At anthesis the tips of the sub-styles and stigmasproject through the sides of the upper ¼ of the stamen cluster.

Inflorescence is a terminal thyrse with up to 30 flowers produced oneach inflorescence. At mid bloom an average inflorescence measures 14-20cm long×2.5-4 cm wide. The inflorescence occupies the upper ¼-½ of eachstem. The terete peduncle measures 2 mm in diameter at its base taperingto 1 mm just below the upper flowers. Some of the few flowered pedunclesare as thin as 1 mm in diameter at their base. The peduncle is coveredwith stellate hairs and is colored 194B. The hairs are colored 155C. Thebranches of the inflorescence alternate up the axis of the peduncle.

Nearly mature fruits (color 139C) are spherical, measuring 7 mm indiameter and height. Fruits have 10-14 carpels. The calyx lower half(color 138C) is clasping to the fruit. The calyx upper half is raisedand incurved, the color 138C extending up to the midpoint of the calyxteeth, where some drying has taken place resulting in mottling of 53A ona background color of 161C.

The ripened mature fruit is a cupped, septicidal, apicallydisarticulating capsule (exterior color 199C) comprised of 10-14carpels, each of which contains 1-2 seeds. At this stage, stellate hairs(color 161C) are still present on the fruit exterior, although many havefallen away. The carpel segments also dehisce loculicidally to abouthalf of their length to produce 2 hatchet head shaped wings to allowwind dispersal. Ripe capsules vary in diameter from 6-13 mm and from 4-5mm in thickness.

Fruit segments are overall reniform in shape except the wing endterminates in a hatchet shaped margin at that end. Fruit segmentsmeasure 5.5 mm long×3 mm wide×2.5 mm thick. The two wings of eachsegment flare laterally from the segment starting at the midpoint of thefruit segment. Their sides are smooth, puberulous with hairs colored161C. the margins of each segment including the wing margins are coveredwith stellate hairs colored 161C. The lateral base of the segment whichcontains the seed(s) is glabrous and coarsely reticulate, the reticulumstrongly raised, color N200A. The surface of the segment transitionsabruptly from reticulate to smooth at the midpoint of the segment. Thecolor of the wings is 200A at the wing base and gradually transitions to199C at the wing margin. The wing interior is glabrous and colored likethe exterior.

Seeds are reniform/orbicular in shape, tapering from a broad rounded endto a point located just above the hilum. The two flattened, slightlyindented sides of the seed flare away from each other starting at theadaxial (hilum) side toward the abaxial (dorsal) side at an angle ofabout 30°. Seeds measure 1.2-1.4 mm long×1.0-1.1 mm wide×0.9 mm thick.The margin of the seed is covered with erratic/villous hairs variablycolored from 158D to 161C. Hairs are most concentrated near the hilum.Seeds vary in color from N200A to N200B. The point on the seed near thehilum is a laterally compressed cone measuring 0.1 mm long×0.1 mm wideat the base×0.05 mm thick at the base, colored 161B. The hilum is round,0.2 mm in diameter and colored 200A. The hilum is mostly obscured withvillous hairs colored 161A.

Sphaeralcea ambigua ‘Orange Crush’ is hardy to at least 10° F. Rustfungi are reported to be a problem for the species, but the inventor hasnot seen this disease attacking this cultivar. No other insect ordisease problems were noted.

COMPARISONS TO RELATED SPHAERALCEA

Compared the range of variation seen within the parental line,Sphaeralcea ambigua ‘Orange Crush’ is more compact and shorter relativeto width. The uniquely large number of stems produced is distinctiverelative to the range of variation seen within the parental line.Additionally, ‘Orange Crush’ has a strong everblooming tendency whichhas not been seen in other plants grown from the parental line.

There are several named cultivars in existence, none of them patented.

‘Newleaze Coral’ is listed as being 3-4′ tall×3′ wide and has coral redflowers and may be distinguished from ‘Orange Crush’ by both its uprightgrowth form compared to low growing (about twice as wide as tall) for‘Orange Crush’ as well as the distinctive flower color difference.

‘Louis Hamilton’ is another cultivar with red flowers. It can bedistinguished from ‘Orange Crush’ by its flower color, taller growth andlower plant density than ‘Orange Crush’.

‘Papago Pink’ is a cultivar with pink flowers and a growth form withheight and width about equal (about 3 feet). ‘Papago Pink’ can bedistinguished from ‘Orange Crush’ by its different flower color and moreupright and open growth form.

Munro's Globe Mallow, Sphaeralcea monroana is sold by several nurseries,and while not a cultivar per se (apparently seed grown) and a differentspecies of Sphaeralcea is included for comparison because of its flowercolor being like that of ‘Orange Crush’. Munro's Globe mallow may beeasily distinguished from ‘Orange Crush’ by its tall growth form (twiceas tall as wide) as well as being a summer to late summer bloomer while‘Orange Crush’ blooms heaviest in the winter and spring with scatteredblooming throughout the year.

‘Hot Pink’ is another cultivar that grows about 3′ tall and as wide withmagenta flowers in late spring to summer. This cultivar may bedistinguished from ‘Orange Crush’ by its more upright form, differentflower color and different bloom season.

I claim:
 1. A new and distinct Sphaeralcea ambigua plant named ‘OrangeCrush’ substantially as described and illustrated herein.